MX23RW : Wednesday, January 1 00:55:00| >> :120:45928:45928:
[monks data]
Nottingham Forest logo
Championship
Feb 11, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Wigan logo

3-0

Assombalonga (33'), Burke (50'), Lansbury (61')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: Nottingham Forest vs. Wigan Athletic

Sports Mole looks ahead to the Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic at the City Ground.

Dougie Freedman will be looking to secure back-to-back wins in his first two games in charge of Nottingham Forest when they take on Wigan Athletic on Wednesday.

Forest recorded a 3-2 comeback victory in the Scot's first game as manager against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday following the sacking of Stuart Pearce last week.

Freedman will be looking to end a winless run of five home games, including three straight defeats, when he takes charge of his first game at the City Ground against the Latics.

Forest's home form has been a problem since the second month of the season after having a bright start to the campaign. The club have conceded the third highest number of goals in the league when hosting, which has been the main reason for their downfall.

The Midlands club will not be pleased to see the Latics enter the City Ground as they have failed to beat them in their last six matches, including this season's 0-0 draw at the DW Stadium.

Freedman will be able to field the same team that defeated the Seagulls on Saturday as Danny Collins and Chris Burke have overcome knocks, but Michael Mancienne is not fit to return to action.

Wigan are in dire straits in 23rd place in the Championship, seven points adrift of safety with just 17 matches remaining this season. It has been a dramatic fall from grace for a team that competed in the playoffs last season.

Malky Mackay's men come into the fixture without a win since Boxing Day, a run that has stretched for seven matches in all competitions, which included their 3-1 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday.

With every passing game the task of avoiding relegation to League One is looking bleaker, and the last thing the club wanted to see is a Forest team re-energised with a new man at the helm.

The Latics' main problem is that they have kept just two clean sheets since November, although both of those results have come away from home. However, their form on the road still only ranks 20th in the league.

Mackay will be without Emyr Huws, who he confirmed has been ruled out for the season. Meanwhile, Chris Herd came off with a knock late in the loss to the Cherries and could be a doubt to feature at the City Ground.

Liam Ridgewell will play the final game of his six-week loan spell at the club before returning to the Portland Timbers, but the Scot could be boosted by the return to fitness of James Perch.

Nottingham Forest

Form in Championship: LLWLLW
Form in all competitions: LLWLLW

Probable starting lineup: Darlow, Lichaj, Collins, Hobbs, Fox, Antonio, Gardner, Osborn, Lansbury, Burke, Assombalonga

Wigan

Form in Championship: LLDLDL
Form in all competitions: LLDLDL

Probable starting lineup: Al-Habsi, Taylor, McCann, Perch, McClean, Kim, Cowie, Clarke, Barnett, Ridgewell, Kvist

Sports Mole says: 3-0


ID:204434: cacheID:204434:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6086:
Written by
Simon Sinclair
No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Sheyi Ojo in action for England U18s on November 17, 2014
Read Next:
Wigan bring in Liverpool teenager
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford187383232024
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!